1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a lock for securing a trailer hitch and more particularly to a lock whose components can be easily disassembled (disengaged from one another) and reassembled (reengaged with one another).
2. Description of Related Art
It is now common practice to attach a trailer to the rear of a vehicle via a coupler and a securing assembly so that there is more space for carrying people and/or goods. Such securing assemblies are well known in the art. For example, US Patent Application Publication No. 20120212000 “Trailer lock”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,339 “Trailer hitch and lock assembly”, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,181 “Trailer hitch and lock assembly” disclose, in essence, a latching member and a lock. The latching member is configured to be passed through a trailer coupler. More specifically, the latching member has an end portion passing through the trailer coupler and provided with an engaging portion. The lock has a mounting hole, an engaging member, and a keyhole. The end portion of the latching member is enclosed in the mounting hole. A key can be inserted into the keyhole and turned to drive the engaging member into engagement with the engaging portion, thereby locking the latching member.
The prior art cited above, however, leaves room for improvement. First and foremost, the lock must be locked and unlocked with a key, which leads to complexity in operation and hence inconvenience. Second, the numerous components and complicated structure of the lock hinder manufacture and assemble, making it difficult to lower production cost, let alone product price.
There are also securing structures without a lock core. For example, Taiwan Patent No. M274264 “Lock for a vehicle towing hitch” essentially discloses a latching member with an engaging bar and a spring. The spring can push a locking block into engagement with the engaging bar such that the locking block and the latching member are fixed in position. Since this latching member is no ordinary latching member and must be equipped with the engaging bar and the spring, the cost of the end product would be high.